Lady Gaga Opens Up About Her PTSD To An LGBT Audience

During a recent visit to Ali Forney Center in Harlem, Lady Gaga admitted that she has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being raped when she was 19 years old.

According to its website, the Ali Forney Center is “the largest and most comprehensive program in the nation dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless LGBTQ youth.” While vising with those at the center, Gaga explained: “I don’t have the same kinds of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness and I struggle with that mental illness every day so I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed.” She explained that meditation helps her remain calm.

As you may recall, Gaga wrote the song ‘Til It Happens To You and admitted in 2014 that she herself had been raped when she was 19. It appears that Gaga, who is now 30 years old, is still struggling with what happened to her and was trying to connect with the youth at the Ali Forney Center, the majority of whom have suffered abuse themselves due to them being LGBTQ.

Carl Siciliano, the Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center, explained to CNN that: “Lady Gaga has always been extraordinarily supportive of the LGBT community… She was remarkably unguarded, open and available to each individual young person.”